SS nutrition for young fatties

[Radical]

As delighted as I'm sure you are to address this new and intriguing topic, let's dive right in.

I'm 21, 5'10" and 188-189 pounds with lifts of ~180/170/315 and a 95 OP. Depending on what part of the internet one subscribes to my bodyfat sits between 23-33%. I'm inclined to believe it's nearer to the high end of that range since I can fit into a belt hole at about 31 inches but measure 37-38 inches around the belly button and have love handles nearly as wide as my shoulders. No significant athletic background to speak of, never counted calories for more than a week or so, during which 3200 calories a day put me up two or three pounds (granted, alongside 30 pounds of deadlift). Given that the Clarification article suggests roughly 3500 calories to keep bodyfat down on the LP, I was hoping you could give me some pointers.

I'm starting one more run at SS-type programming at 135x5/135x5/235x5 and 80-85 on the OP. I'd also like to work in some typical "cardio" work, if not for fat loss itself then because I can't run much more than a minute or make .5 miles on an elliptical at a resistance of 11 without gassing out. Getting to 315/225/405 in the next few months is the priority, but I've recently dropped from a little over 200 to my current weight and I'm not terribly eager to gain it back until I have to. From what I've read you suggest titrating calories up as the LP progresses and recovery demands follow suit; where, in your experience, might a good place to start with total caloric intake and macro portions be?

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

I'm starting one more run at SS-type programming at 135x5/135x5/235x5 and 80-85 on the OP. I'd also like to work in some typical "cardio" work, if not for fat loss itself then because I can't run much more than a minute or make .5 miles on an elliptical at a resistance of 11 without gassing out. Getting to 315/225/405 in the next few months is the priority, but I've recently dropped from a little over 200 to my current weight and I'm not terribly eager to gain it back until I have to. From what I've read you suggest titrating calories up as the LP progresses and recovery demands follow suit; where, in your experience, might a good place to start with total caloric intake and macro portions be?

Don't reset to those numbers. Take 10% off tops for your work sets> 165/155/275. You may also need to move to the advanced novice LP if you're trying to push the progression while not adding too much fuel to the equation.

At any rate, I'd have you start around 275/225/65 5x a week and then 245/385/60 on your two heaviest training days. You can do fasted walks in the AM. I don't think they're better than regular "fed" cardio or HIIT especially, but usually this puts the cardio session far enough away from your training to not negatively effect it. Plus, if you're going to get your butt out of bed in the morning to go do the walks that means your compliance is high and you're likely to have better results just because you're doing what I'm telling you to. Alternatively, if you have access to a rower, airdyne, or hell, even an elliptical, just do some HITT on Friday (at first) with a 5 minute warm up, 7 rounds of: 20s all out sprint, 1min 40s active recovery, 10 minute cool down. 2 weeks later add another session of this same conditioning to either an off day or Monday (if running the advanced novice LP).

[Radical]

To be clear, "~180/170/315" represented my estimated squat 1RM (off of a previous 185x1 and a more recent 165x3) and tested bench press and deadlift maxes, not any worksets I've ever done. I was resetting the bench press from 155x4 last month and decided to start on the safe side as I recover from two weeks of sinus and gastrointestinal problems and adjust to diet; same deal with the squat, plus adjusting to genuine squatting shoes. I figured I'll get there in two workouts anyway, but if you think I should jump higher on squats I will. Anyhow, the advice is much appreciated. It takes some kind of decency to share your time and expertise for free on as busy a schedule as you must have; sorry to contribute to the tedium, but I hope seeing the results folks like me derive from your advice makes it worthwhile.

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

That makes more sense then. I dug around briefly and saw your log. Go ahead and kill it my man! Thanks for the kind words.